Kingston HyperX Genesis 2,133MHZ 16GB review

Hyper-speed memory for galaxy-class prices

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For

Exceptional memory bandwidth

Low profile design

Against

Price

Real-world benchmarks show little gaming improvement

Money isn't an issue if you're considering throwing together your own Intel X79-based high-end system, so splurging an extra hundred pounds on the highest-rated memory kits, such as the Kingston HyperX Genesis 2133MHZ 16GB shouldn't cause you too many problems.

With its highest XMP profile of 2,133MHz you are guaranteed exceptional memory bandwidth, but does that translate through to exceptional performance?

For a high-end component, the HyperX Genesis 2,133MHz certainly comes packed in a demure outfit. Much like Crucial, we expect Kingston is trying to reduce costs wherever it can, hopefully to provide better value.

The usual blue HyperX heat-spreader adorns the modules and sits only a millimetre higher than the DIMM itself at 31mm. That means it shouldn't provide any mounting issues, unless you're using an exotic cooler.

Boosted bandwidth

Installing the memory kit went smoothly and the mobo immediately picked up the modules' two highest XMP profiles: 1,866MHz with 10-11-10 timings and the higher 2,133MHz speed with its 11-12-11 timings, both running at 1.65 volts. The default speed is the JEDEC 1,333MHz setting that provides better latency timings of 9-9-9, while running at 1.5 volts.

Once up and running the basic bandwidth performance was outstanding. At 49GB/s it's easily outpacing slower memory by almost 10GB/s, or 25 percent, and results in world-leading memory speeds. If you have memory bandwidth eating apps then without doubt an X79 system coupled with this memory kit is going to deliver.

Less impressive is the lack of follow through with our remaining benchmarks. If anything, the Cinebench result suffers very slightly over lower-CAS memory. World in Conflict showed a very slight increase in speed of two frames per second on average, which equates to an increase of just under two per cent despite the memory itself costing up to twice as much.

We weren't expecting to achieve anything in overclocking terms as this memory already runs on the bloody edge, and sure enough we were not able to increase the frequency by even a percent without suffering stability issues.

For bandwidth junkies there's no doubt this kit delivers bandwidth in droves. The 49GB/s result is one of the highest we've ever seen, and the price tag is also reasonable considering you're getting 16GB of extremely high performance memory.

There are far cheaper 16GB kits around though, so you need to make sure you need the increased bandwidth of a higher specced kit. The issue for us is that real-world benchmarks show little improvement other than for the raw bandwidth speed. When cheaper memory kits can give comparable results, you really have to question where your money is going.

If you can save £100 and use that, instead, for a faster graphics card, that will always be our choice.